The clarified App Store guidelines and rejection review board that Apple announced on Thursday are mostly being hailed as, in the words of Martha Stewart, “a good thing.” Rivals Adobe and Google, both of whom were prominently affected by App Store policies, have joined the chorus of praise.

Adobe concluded by noting that it will also keep working to bring “full Web browsing” with Flash Player 10.1 and standalone applications with its AIR platform to a broad range of non-Apple platforms, including Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.

Google also voiced its happiness with Apple’s changes in a post on its Google Mobile Ads Blog. The search giant had previously claimed that a policy change that Apple made in June effectively banned AdMob, the mobile advertising company Google purchased last year. Apple removed that language from its policies on Thursday, and Google praised the change as a win in terms of choice for both developers and consumers.

While having two major developers less miffed by Apple’s iOS policies is a positive, it’s important to remember that the changes Apple made are much more important to the App Store’s big picture. Game engines, development tools for the typical user, and even publishing tools are now allowed by Apple’s policies, which opens the App Store doors to any number of industries. And the publishing of clearer rules and creation of an appeals board means that developers can create software without the constant fear that their applications will be rejected with no recourse.

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